BLACKROCK COLLEGENEWSLETTER

Dear Parents,

Niki Lauda, the Formula One racing legend, three times world champion, passed away on 20th May last. He had an extraordinary career whichalmost ended tragically when his Ferrari ploughed into the side of the track and burst into flames at the German Grand Prix in August 1976.

Guy Edwards, a competitor in the race witnessed the car in flames behind him, stopped, ran back and pulled Niki from the burning car withthe assistance of two other drivers who had followed his example. His actions saved Niki’s life. Niki Lauda despite the severity of the burnson his head along with several fractures and serious internal injuries, severe damage to his lungs and mucous membrane from the fibreglassfumes, was back behind the wheel within eight weeks and World Champion the following year. That is a remarkable story, but who was GuyEdwards?

Guy Edwards raced in 17 Formula One Grand Prix. He was never on the podium (top 3); he never scored a point (top 6). However, he certainlymade a huge impact on the sport… by stopping his car for a fellow driver.

I recount this story in the aftermath of our wonderful Prize Day, when we recognised those who have excelled in academia and the Arts, whohave given great service, who have shown leadership. Over 130 boys received awards, but how many ‘Guy Edwards’ are there in Blackrockwho never make the podium, shake the hand of the Union President or receive the acknowledgement they deserve?

I acknowledge and commend the many who make an enormous contribution to Blackrock, who make things happen, who pause to help another,whose presence in our community confirms that Blackrock is about service and love, the sharing of self, the giving of self. We have many “GuyEdwards” who have made a difference.

Small things make a difference, those which too often may be taken for granted. These “small” day-by-day contributions of the many have madeour Sports and Family Day, Graduation Mass, Soccer Leagues, Music, Arts and Drama week, Gold Medal Debates, 100 Mile Cycle, SummerConcert and Camino, Green Schools and Days of Reflections significant, powerful expressions of community, connectivity and ethos. Tell yourson that he makes a difference and that his everyday actions do not go unnoticed.

A Blackrock education focuses on the three elements of humanity – the Mind, the Body and the Soul. We recognise the importance ofexercising the mind and the body but we must not forget, in our headlong daily rush, the soul. If we tend to our spirit, our soul, then all elsefalls into place.

As we complete another school year Blackrock is in good shape. We have a thriving school inspired by our Spiritan community, steered by ourinsightful Board, led by an excellent staff, encouraged by a supportive parental body, assisted by a faithful Union and of course, invigorated byour enthusiastic boys. I thank all of you.

I wish to thank, in a special way, my three colleagues – Hugon Simm, Cathal Copeland,Andrew Carroll - who retire after a combined 113 years’service to Blackrock. Each has generously shared his talents with the boys, instilled an appetite for learning, a concern for others and a curiosityabout life. Each has delivered much more than the subject he has taught. We are most grateful.

Finally, enjoy the summer and thank you for sending your sons to Blackrock. We eagerly look forward to their safe return in August.

God Bless.

__________ALAN MacGINTYPrincipal

Summer 2019

Photos from L to R :a) Tom Dwan,Winner of the General Excellence Award andValedictorian Class of 2019 on Prize Day b) Ethan Laing (Third Year) participates in the Long Jump on Sports Dayc) Conor Bleakley (Fourth Year) Finalist in MasterChef

Second YearThe short final term in 2nd Year has been full of activity.

It began with the Summer Concert and well done to all Second Years whoparticipated in this wonderful event, notably the members of the choir, the orchestra,the Jazz band and to Finn O’ Hara who treated us to a wonderful solo.

The House Competitions concludedwith the last contributory events being theGold Medal Debate, the Tennis Ladder, theSoccer Leagues and Sports & Family Day. DuffHouse beat de Valera House in a closelyfought Soccer League final with Duffmaintaining a 3-2 lead to win the cup. Welldone to captain Theo Claffey and his team.Equally well done to all who participated inthe House Competitions throughout the year.In the final analysis, the winner of the HouseCompetitions 2019 is Shanahan House.

At Prize-giving, Jack McGlone receivedthe Student Leadership Award for SecondYear, Joseph Carroll was awarded theBrother Thaddeus Judge Medal forReligion, the recipients of the AuxiliumMedals were Michael Colreavy andCameron Holland, while the GoldMedal for Second Year Debating waswon by Ben Kieran-Glennon. Welldone to each of our winners.

The Academic Excellence Awards for Second Year went to Ben Kieran-Glennon, Jamie Ahern-O’Connell and Sean Treacy. Book prizes for individualsubjects were awarded to Jamie Ahern-O’Connell, Jack Burke, David Crowley, SamuelFinnegan, James Heavy, Conor Hughes, Ben Kieran-Glennon, Liam Madden Santos,Aaron Murtagh, Jack McGlone, Liam Norton, Ciaran Patchell, Sean Treacy and HarryWhelan.

Six Second Year students who each demonstrated an excellent contribution to the lifeof the College received Honours List Awards: they were Oliver Coffey, LouisDignam, David Doyle, Conor Ennis, Frazer McGinn and James O’Sullivan. IainMcLaughlin was awarded the Second Year Honours List for the Halls ofResidence. Special Awards for Sports were presented by the Principal toMaitiú Heckmann, Finn O’Neill, Ronan Fahey, Eric Brandt and John Glynn at the finalAssembly of the year.

After a vote amongst their peers and in consultation with staff, the following havebeen nominated as House Captains for Third Year: Conor Ennis and EoghanWalsh for de Valera;Tom Brigg and Jack McGlone for Duff; James O’Sullivan and MikeyYarr for Ebenrecht; Louis Dignam and Philippe Le Roux for Leman; Ethan Leon-Ryanand Jamie Rogan for McQuaid; and Oliver Coffey and David Doyle for Shanahan.

Many of these House Captains are continuingin this role and bring experience to the job.We thank the outgoing House Captains fortheir excellent service and wish the incomingcaptains well in their forthcomingresponsibilities.

The final term saw an impressive array ofextra-curricular achievements. InTable Tennis, congratulations to our twoSecond Year captains, Maitiú Heckmannand Ben Kieran-Glennon on anothersuccessful season. In Tennis, the Junior ITennis Team, which included JohnGlynn, won the Leinster Junior trophy againthis year. The Junior II Tennis Team,comprising Mathew Dowley, JamesSheridan, Theo Claffey & JoeyKennedy, brought back the junior trophyto the College for the first time since 1995.A terrific achievement and well done to allinvolved.

Well done to the Second Years on theJunior Cricket Team: Tom Brigg,James Sheridan, Eddie Croswaithe& Conall Hodges. Congratulations alsoto Philippe Le Roux who played on theSenior Cricket Team to reach the final -a first for Blackrock since 1967!

Well done to our Second Year Athletes who participated in the LeinsterChampionships this month: Jack McGlone, Eddie Crosthwaite, EricBrandt, Iain McLaughlin, Oliver Coffey and Daniel Bennett. Manypersonal bests were achieved, and we wish our qualifiers well in the All-Ireland’sin June.

Well done to all our Second Years on completion of their Auxilium Programme.Fifty-nine boys achieved a ‘Distinction’ for their work. This is an outstanding numberand indicates the sincerity and commitment the boys dedicated to their service. Itparticularly illustrates their capacity for reflection, and this must be highlycommended. Congratulations boys on this great work.

So, after a busy term of sporting activity and CBAs, Auxilium Service and HouseCompetitions, the Summer Concert and exam preparation, the Second-Year boys canenjoy a well-earned summer break, preparing themselves for Third Year and the JuniorCertificate.

Theo Byrnes working at the ColumbanCentre, Store Street in Dublin, as part of his

Auxilium Programme.

Second Years from Ms Pierce’s History Class at the Little Museum of Dublin

Duff House V de Valera House in the Final of the Soccer League

Luke O’ Regan and histeam (Cherry OrchardPremier U14) are All

Ireland SoccerChampions having won theSFAI National Cup in Dublin

in May.

National Senior Schools’ Medley and FreestyleRelay Champions: Jed O Malley, Michael Curley (1st Year),

Ronan Fahey and Finn O’Neill.

Conn Lucey, Luke Brophy and Marc OhAonghusa on Sports Day

Daniel Keeley, Ruairi McIntosh on Sports Day

Ciaran Patchell at the Table Tennis Final inUCD

Samuel Finnegan at the Table Tennis Final in UCD

John Rogan President of the PPU (Class of1989), Ms S. Nolan (Deputy Principal ) and

Jack McGlone on Prize Day

Mr. John Rogan President of the PPU (Class of1989) and David Crowley on Prize Day

Mr O’ Sullivan's Second Year Latin class atthe UCD Classics’ Day

L to R Edward Spain (who achieved arunner-up prize), Daniel Kelly, Ben Kieran-Glennon,Alec Linklater,Aaron Murtagh,

Jamie Ahern-O’Connell, Joseph Gibney, SamO’Donovan & Conor Ennis.

Third YearIt is a credit to the year group that they havemaintained a sense of calm, focus and goodhumour as we come to the end of term.With exams looming large on the horizon,the summer sports programme has provento be a welcome distraction fromschoolwork. Although the warm weathercan sometimes distract from study it hasbeen great to see the students making themost of it through sport.

There was a great turn out for Sports andFamily day on Sunday 12th May . All inattendance were treated to some incredibleathletic displays including the intermediate100m championship race, run by the narrowest of margins and the ultra-competitive4x100m relay. A big thank you to the 3rd Year house captains: Conor Reidy, EoinDunne, Colm Fagan, Federico Mei, James Boland, Ryan Holmes, Charlie O’ Brien,WillFitzgerald, Patrick Van Zuydam,Andrew McCarthy, Joe Broderick and Michael White.They did brilliantly to get so many involved and have been fantastic to work with allyear showing great commitment and leadership.

Congratulations to Michael White who was winner of the Junior Gold Medal debate.James Carroll and George Francis also participated in the debate.The standard wasvery high and the motion debated was This House believes that every individual shouldact in order to mitigate the dangerous effects of climate change.

In Gaelic football commiserations to our U16s team who were narrowly defeated inthe Championship Final. Blackrock had been leading by two points right up until thelast minute.The team included Hugh Cooney, Charlie O’ Brien, Johnnie Quirke, CianRyan, Patrick Van Zuydam and Sean Purcell (injury prevented him playing the final) Yetmore sporting talent, this time on the seas as Conor Gorman and Hugh O’ Connorcapped a very successful year for sailing in the College. Conor and Hugh were partof the team representingBlackrock in the 2019 Schools’Team Racing championships whichwas held at the Fastnet MarineCentre, Schull in West Corkrecently.The sailing club continuesto go from strength to strengthand no doubt is looking forwardto competing in waters closer tohome. Next year’s competitionwill be held in Royal Saint GeorgeYacht Club.

The soccer leagues concludedwith Duff, marshalled by FedericoMei taking their form from thesemi-final to dispatch a

determined McQuaid side in the final.Spectators were privileged to see anabsolute gem from Danny Clarke asDuff won the game 3-1. The standardof football has been impressivethroughout the tournament.

The future is bright for cricket asthere were six Third Yearsrepresenting the senior cricket teamin the Leinster Schools’ Cricket Cup.Congratulations to RichardAinsworth, Alex Cowdrey, Jack Davy,Emmett Gulliver, Jack Gunn andPatrick Morris who were all part ofthe team that got Rock to its firstsenior cricket final in 52 years.Unfortunately, they met a very strongCUS side in the final in MerrionCricket Club, but no doubt we will beback stronger next year.

Well done to our Junior 1 and Junior2 tennis teams who were bothvictorious in the Junior Tennis finalsheld in Templeogue Tennis Club.Callum O’ Brien captained our J1swhich included James Brophy and WillFitzgerald who beat Monkstown in thefinal. Our J2s also had 3rd Yearrepresentatives with James Harvey,Mark McCabe, Andrew McCarthy andRory O’ Shea part of the team thatwon against Clongowes in their final.Fantastic effort by both teams.

I would like to take this opportunity tothank you all for your support over thecourse of the year, in particular the 3rdyear parents’ committee chaired byBernard Carroll. I wish the students allthe best in their exams and hope theyhave a great summer. A new and veryexciting challenge awaits in TransitionYear. Judging by the character of thisyear group I have no doubt they willhave a fantastic time and make themost of the wonderful opportunitiesthat await them.

James Carroll competing in the Sack Raceon Sports Day

Stephen Wong,Joe Broderick , Robert Fitzgerald andAlex O’ Meara with Mr E.Daly on Sports Day

Sean Mc Cormack at the Table Tennis finals in UCD

Jack Rogan receives the Dr. John T Murphy medal fromhis father Mr. John Rogan President PPU (Class of

1989) on Prize Day

Michael Redmond competing in the Long Jump onSports Day

Transition Year Though this summer term has been shorterthan normal at five weeks, Transition Yearshave managed to pack a lot into it; especiallyconsidering there was a week of workexperience added into it as well! As well aswhat you will read below we have had aFirst Aid Course, another ConversationalFrench evening course and the Parents’Coffee morning on 3rd May hosted by theexpertly trained TY Baristas!

Dragons’ DenHaving been launched in early March, all of Transition Year attended a workshop onIdea Generation with some of the Dragons and subsequent multiple additionalmentoring sessions as they developed their Dragons’ Den Business Plans forsubmission in early May. There was fantastic interest in the competition with someexcellent business plans submitted however a shortlist of six finalists was drawn upby the Business Department in conjunction with the Dragons.The six finalists were:LBM Fitness (Oscar Bourke Mullaney and Sam Loscher), LocalHelp (Conor Slattery),Racket Stringing (Stephen O’Nuallain), Sharemyhome.ie (Robert Harvey) and Tap Tabs(Robbie Gallagher). On Tuesday 28th May the entrepreneurs of TY had start up

projects and businesses scrutinized by BlackrockCollege’s dragons led by Mr. Paul McGowan in thefinal of the competition. The finalists presentedsuperbly in front of both the Dragons present andthe entire of Transition Year. Congratulations to allthe finalists and in an extremely tough choice, theDragons eventually went for LBM Fitness as thewinners of Dragons Den 2019. Congratulations toOscar and Sam. My thanks to Mr.Paul McGowanChairperson of the Dragons’ Den initiative andMr.Fitzsimons for their fantastic work on behalf ofthe boys.

Transition Year Lecture SeriesWe had three more talks in the final term that received very positive feedback fromthe boys. Marian Brennan from Aware was in on April 30th to deliver their ‘Beat theBlues’ workshop to the boys.A hugely important and valuable workshop focusing onhow to manage those everyday stressors along with knowing how and where to seekhelp if needed. Nigel McKelvey, Lecturer in Letterkenny IT was in on 7th May speakingto the boys about Digital Citizenship and their digital footprint. Lastly on 15th MayJohn O’Shea gave a hugely inspiring talk on Social Entrepreneurship and spoke with

TY Baristas host the Coffee Morning Sam Loscher and Oscar BourkeMullaney winners of Dragons’ Den

2019

incredible passion about his work, past and present, and the capacity of each of theboys to make a positive difference to those in need. Hopefully the boys havediscovered this over the course of the various projects they have been involved in inTransition Year and that John’s words will galvanize them going forward into 5th Yearand beyond.Thank you to the parents’ committee for their assistance with arrangingthe Lecture Series.

Coding ModuleThis year marked the completion of the first year of the Coding Module in TransitionYear. It was very well received by the students with activities ranging from doing ablog, taking apart and rebuilding an old PLC to app development. John Kennedy, oneof our TY students wrote “I would like to thank Mr O’Connell, Áine Ni Neachtainand Julie Power for taking the time to organise the classes, giving us this brilliantopportunity and teaching us so much about computers. I am interested in the ITindustry and would like to pursue something like computer science later on in life,and it’s great to see that coding is being implemented into the school.”

Camino de Santiago deCompostelaOn Saturday the 4th of May 25 TYsdeparted for Northern Spain on Pilgrimageto Santiago de Compostela. The group wasaccompanied by me, Ms. Nolan, Mr. O’Reillyand again was very fortunate to have Fr.Marc Whelan as the group’s Chaplain.Following in the footsteps of thousands ofpilgrims before them, the group took the Camino Francés starting in Triacastela andcovered 144km before arriving in Santiago. Congratulations to Fr. Marc whocompleted the entire Camino starting more than 800km back in France. I’m sure Fr.Marc would say the highlight was the week with the 25 lads! The students wereabsolutely superb throughout; extremely cooperative, positive and great companyalong with engaging fully with the spiritual aspects of the trip.A wonderful experienceall round.The feedback from the students has been excellent. I thank my colleagueson the Camino Ms. Nolan, Mr. O’Reilly and Fr. Marc for their support throughout.

M.A.D. WeekMusic Art and Drama week 7th – 10th May kicked off with a hilarious magic showperformed by Mr. Jack Wise.The week provided the students with the opportunityto take part in several different workshops including: Samba drumming, a danceworkshop, cinema trip, a debate along with the presentation of the films made duringtheir Drama Module to finish off the week. Not to mention the, as always, fabulousSummer Concert in the Jubilee Hall on Thursday 9th May. MAD Week is always oneof the highlights of the final term in TY and it continues to be so. It would not bepossible without the organization of Ms. O’ Kane, Mr. Grumley Traynor, Mr. Orrockand Ms. Ryan. My thanks also to Mr. Grant who looked after everything in my absenceon Camino.

MasterChefMasterChef heats took place on Thursday 2nd andFriday 3rd May in the first week back after theEaster break. Serious practice must have beenhappening during the break because the standardwas fantastic. Ms. Marren was very complimentary.There was a fantastic variety of dishes there tosample and I personally moved seamlesslybetween the Calamari, Cheesecake, Curry, Steak,Spaghetti and other dishes (in that order). 8finalists qualified from a field of more than 30.

Michelin Star Chef Mr. Derry Clarke, Ms. Marrenand Mr. David Murphy had quite a task in front ofthem to pick a winner on Monday May 27th in the final. Congratulations to all

finalists:Shane Redehan, Conor Bleakley, MatthewO’Meara, Sam Horkan, Darragh Harrison, MatthewGibney, Oscar Bourke Mullaney and Ethan Slater.Having managed to create space in the day to sampleall of the courses I can say firsthand that the qualityof the food produced was phenomenal.Congratulations to the winner Shane Redehan andall finalists on a fantastic MasterChef 2019. Particularthanks to Ms. Marren for all the work andorganization.

Extra-CurricularThe variety of talent in the year group never ceasesto amaze me and their achievements in the finalterm certainly didn’t disappoint. The House Soccer League were extremelycompetitive – even if some of the score lines didn’t suggest so! In the midst ofaccusations of referee bias against myself, Devalera won the final on an 11-4scoreline versus Ebenrecht. Congratulations to Tony Rowe, Stephen O’Nuallain andColm Kelly who were on the Junior 1 Tennis Leinster Championship winning siderecently.Well done to Barry Whelan and the Senior Table Tennis Team who won their11th Leinster Senior Cup in a row earlier in May. Congratulations also to JamieMcMahon who was part of the Blackrock College sailing team that finished as the topperforming Leinster school in the 2019 Irish Schools’ Team Racing Championship inSchull, Cork over the weekend of May 4th /5th and who himself became the EuropeanU-21 Laser Champion in Portugal during the week 18th – 25th May. Rory McGuireover the Easter break got two capsfor the Irish U-18 Clubs and SchoolsTeam – a superb achievement. SamLoscher earlier in the term didexcellently in the East-Leinsterscoming 3rd in the Intermediate ShotPutt and 1st in discus. Finally, mostrecently, Michael Lucey competed inFeis Maitiú, a national Drama andPerformance Arts Festival whichattracts competitors from across thecountry. Congratulations to Michaelon achieving 1st in the Lily KavanaghPerpetual Cup for Comedy.

Days of ReflectionOn Tuesday and Thursday 14th and 16th of May TY students had the opportunity forreflection and meditation at the end of a very busy and intense year.The venue wasthe Dominican Retreat Centre in Tallaght.The opportunity to look back on TransitionYear is such an important one given the transformative and challenging nature of theprogramme and this was broadly welcomed by the students and the feedback wasvery positive. My thanks to Mr.Madden for his organization of the retreats.

ConclusionI would like to thank my colleagues in Transition Year: Brian Grant, Brian Savage andGarry Sullivan and Flor Madden, Director of Pastoral Care; who have workedtirelessly to run a very busy TY programme. I am also very grateful for all the workof the Transition Year Parents’ Committee chaired by Helen Durand. Their supportand engagement with the TY programme have been incredible throughout. Inparticular the drive they put behind the raffle at the TY Parents’ Social which raised€6,100 in aid of Solèy Haiti, the charity which I have been lucky enough to co-foundin 2018 was far beyond the call of duty. I thank the students for all the energy,commitment and good humour they brought to all the Transition Year projects overthe course of the year. I wish all the students the very best going into 5th Year andbeyond.

Have a great summer!

Transition Year

Fourth Years on Sports Day

Ethan Slater (Finalist in MasterChef)

Matthew Gibney and Sam Horkan (Finalists in MasterChef)

TYS on the Camino de Santiago Trip

Fifth Year The final term has been one of continued commitment and focus with very high levelsof energy and effort both in and out of the classrooms. Academic Prize Givinghighlighted the determination of the year group to reach their academic potential andwe congratulate all those awarded prizes.

The 5th Year class of 2018-2019 has had a very successful year, due in no small partto their good nature, caring spirit and endeavour to ‘be there’.They have made greatsteps in their journey to becoming Men.There is a wealth of enthusiasm and talent in

the year group and they have maintained the highest standard of conduct throughoutthe year . We wish them a happy and safe summer and every success as they continuetheir journey to the Leaving Certificate and beyond.

Summer Concert The final event on this year’s musical calendar was the Summer Concert. Fifth Yearwas well represented, with performances from the Choir, Orchestra, Boarders’ Choirand a solo from Michael Cagney who sang “Always Remember Us this Way” by Lady

Fifth YearGaga. The concert was a thoroughlyentertaining evening and we congratulate allinvolved.

Economics and Commerce SocietySeven Fifth Year students - Josh Baker, DavidCosgrave, Mark Kenny, Conor MurphyRogers, Tom O’Connor, Patrick O’Raffertyand Hugo O’Reilly – went on TheCommerce and Economics Society’s annualtrip to London in April, led by Mr. Morrisand Mr. Smyth.The group started in Dublinairport at 4 am and headed straight toLloyds Insurance upon arrival. The nextport-of-call was Google where the groupspoke with employees about careerprospects, technology and Brexit. The dayconcluded with a presentation by PeterO’Connell of O’Connell Resourcing whorelayed valuable advice on job preparation.An early appointment in Morgan Stanleywas at the top of the itinerary on thesecond day. Valuable insights were gainedinto the world of banking and finance, andthe presentation finished up with anetworking session with Morgan Stanleyemployees. The trip gave the students agreat insight into working life in London.Many thanks to Mr. Morris and Mr.Smyth for their work in making the tripa great success.

East-Leinster (Athletics)Well done to the senior 4x100m relayteam on coming 1st with Jeff Kennyand Michael Lowey (5th Year) AndrewHendrickx and William Spain (6thYear). Jeff Kenny also did well to get abronze medal in a strong senior 200mrace and Adam Harvey won gold in the800m. Michael Lowey, Harry Cullen,Rory Ahern and Hugo O’Malleymanaged to qualify for Leinster in thefield events.

Leinster (Athletics)Congratulations to the seniorrelay team on finishing 3rd in theLeinster schools’ 4x100m.Unfortunately, they were unable toqualify for the All Ireland’s. In thethrowing Harry Cullen and RoryAhern finished 6th and 7th indiscus and Hugo O’ Malley gavehis all in the hammer, but just cameshort for an all-Irelandqualification. Commiserations tothe 4x400m who failed to qualifyfor the All Irelands.We would liketo acknowledge the work put inby the boys involved, PeterMurphy, Andrew Hendrickx, BenWhite (6th Year) and Jeff Kenny (5th Year).

Sports and Family DaySports Day is a significant event in the College calendar and it certainly didn’tdisappoint with a great 5th Year turnout. Congratulations to Shanahan for topping the5th Year House points and to Michael Lowey for winning the championship race in atightly contested contest with Jeff Kenny. We’d like to thank Mr. Barry and Mr.Creighton and all staff involved in making this a great occasion.

Career Guidance - Centigrade TestingWe are grateful to the Careers and AEN Departments for the administration ofCognitive Ability Tests and Centigrade Tests for all Fifth Years this term. The resultsof these tests and the accompanying insights into future career options will beavailable for students on their return from the summer break.

Football – House LeaguesThis year’s House Soccer Leagues were extremely well-contested with all 6 housesputting in a great effort in each game. It was Ebenrecht who came out on top in avery exciting final against Duff. Congratulations to Charlie O’Carroll and David Ryanas House Captains and to Man of The Match, Ben McCarthy.A massive thank you toall House members, House Captains and staff for helping the tournament runsmoothly.

CricketCongratulations to the following5th Years who took part inBlackrock’s senior cricketcampaign; Gavin Hoey, CillianMcDonnell, Aidan Quigley andDavid Cosgrave. Blackrock came2nd in the group and won twovery tough quarter and semi-finals. It was the first timeBlackrock played in the final since1967. After a hard fought battle,the team unfortunately lost to avery strong CUS side.Congratulations to Gavin Hoeyand Cillian McDonnell who havebeen selected to play for aSouthern Ireland Schools side in the coming weeks.

Rugby Well done to Hugo O’Malley,Mark Morrissey and Matthew Cullen.Hugo was selectedfor the Ireland 18s clubs and schools and Leinster U19s squads. Mark Morrissey wasselected for the Leinster U18s and Matthew was selected for the Leinster U19s.

RowingWe congratulate MJ Power on finishing second at the Trinity Regatta in the J18 scullingrace. On the same day MJ also placed third in the J18 quad race.

SailingWe congratulate the Fifth-Yearsailors who finished 4th in the AllIreland Schools’ Team RacingChampionships. Members on theteam were Morgan Lyttle,Charles Cullen and Colm Hogan.

GolfCongratulations to the threeFifth Year members of the 2019Senior Golf team Ronan Cowhey(C), Robert Galligan and RoryReid on wining the LeinsterSenior Schools’ Championshipand their runners up finish at the All Ireland Schools’ Finals, held in Portstewart GolfClub.

DebatingFour 5th Years took partin the Annual GoldMedal Debate onMonday, the 13th of May.Oliver Bosworth andTom O’Connor spoke infavour of the motion;‘This House believesthat the presentgeneration has beenoverly indulged byexcessive parenting’.John Huggard and TomDooley spoke on theother team. After alengthy deliberation, thetwo adjudicators – Mr.Sheil and Ms. Pearse – awarded John Huggard the 5th Year Debating Gold Medal forhis passionate, well-informed and anecdotal speech.

Peter O'Connell (O'Connell Resourcing UK) and Mark Kenny (5th Year)

Morgan Lyttle and Colm Hogan looking composed and relaxed on the water

Mr. John Rogan President of the PPU(Class of 1989) and Luke Reynolds

winner of the Book Prize for Business

Mr. John Rogan President of the PPU(Class of 1989), Tom O’ Connor, winnerof the Archbishop Charles Heery Medal,

and Ms Sinéad Nolan (Deputy Principal) on Prize Day

Michael Lowey in full stride in the relay at the East Leinster’s

FFifth Years on Sports Day

Fifth Years soaking up the atmosphere at Sports and Family Day

Wellbeing For your wellbeing this summer can we respectfully suggest less of

And more of

Whatever you’re up to inthe coming weeks andmonths, we hope that youwill find time for yourselfand your loved ones, torelax and reflect, and returnto school reinvigorated,re-energised, and ready totake on the challenges ofthe academic year 2019-2020 .

The ArtsMusic & DramaIt is hard to believe that summer has arrived so soon! The last term flew by,however we still managed to fit in lots of events; the Easter Services,MAD Week,the Summer Concert, Sport & Family Day, the Sixth Year Graduation Mass, theAcademic Prizegiving and the First Year End of Year Mass.

The Union Retreat took place on Holy Thursday and Good Friday and we wouldlike to thank the members of the Adult Choir and Past Pupils who took part inthese liturgies and sang.We finished up with the Easter Vigil which is always veryatmospheric as the chanting and singing begins at the Paschal flame in the Quadbefore processing to the Chapel.

Straight after the Easter break, we hit the ground running with Music, Art andDrama Week (MAD) for Transition Years. This included workshops in Magic,Dance and Samba Drumming and all boys were given the opportunity to trysome ‘MAD’ activities that they may not have dared venture into before. On theThursday of this week was the Summer Concert.This was a joyous and energeticoccasion with a very varied programme ranging from 90’s dance music from theOrchestra to ‘The Lake Isle of Inisfree’ sung by the Libermann Choir.We now haveestablished a tradition over the past number of years where the First-Yearsingers and band join us for this concert for their first experience of taking partin the College music and they all rose to the challenge.A special mention mustgo to Sean Hannon in Sixth Year who set up all the sound equipment for this andhas done so for so many productions over the past few years.Well done to allour fabulous performers and in particular to our MC, Mark Kenny (Fifth Year),who did an excellent job.

The Sixth Year Graduation Mass was a great send off to the Class of 2019 andwhat a tremendous occasion to mark their time in the College.We were in fullvoice as the Sixth Year Choir and Ensemble lead the congregation in the manyhymns and responses.We will miss you and hope to see you again as part of thePast Pupils’ Choir.

The last main College eventwas the AcademicPrizegiving. We areprivileged that it is so hardto select prize-winners asthere are so many talentedand giving musicians in theCollege. A special mentionmust go to our Sixth-Yearmedal winners: Harry Keyes(who also sang the NationalAnthem at Sport & FamilyDay),Tom Dwan, Oisín Reidand Sean Hannon. The nextday, the First Year End ofYear Mass took place in Willow Park Senior School and this was really upliftingand enjoyable.We look forward to welcoming you all into Blackrock next yearand urge you to take part in the many Music and Drama events there are onoffer. Finally, break a leg to all students sitting Junior and Leaving Certificateexams!

Senior Debating The focus of the summer term was the highly competitive Gold Medal finals.TheFifth and Transition Years contested a most entertaining debate on the topic ofindulgent excessive parenting.The Gold Medal in Transition was awarded to EoinWhooley, while John Huggard was deemed the best speaker in Fifth Year.

The Sixth Year Gold Medal debate is one of the highlights of the school year asit brings together the year group for one of the last times.This year eight bravespeakers entered the highly charged Lecture Hall to debate the motion “Thishouse has every confidence that the class of 2019 will change society for thebetter.” It was a very entertaining debate and demonstrated that this year’sgroup has highly effective and confident public speakers.Tom Dwan was awardedthe Gold Medal.The adjudicators felt that he has the qualities demanded for avaledictorian.

Sixth Years singing ‘Bridge over Troubled Water’ at the Graduation Mass

Sean Hannon (6th Year) winner of the Father CormacO’Brolcháin medal with Mr John Rogan President of the PPU

(Class of 1989) on Prize Day

The Arts Cont’dThank you to all those who participated in debating this year. I would particularlylike to single out Dylan Hutchinson who as Secretary of Senior Debating wasresponsible for the smooth running of the year’s programme.Thank you Dylan.

Junior Debating There were three superb events in Junior Debating this term.

A MACE in Loreto on The Green attended by Jamie Starr Bourke,Alec Linklaterand Jack Salley Dempsey (2nd Year students).

Blackrock College hosted a 1st / 2nd / 3rd Year Debate on Friday 10th May.Daniel Keeley (2nd Year) was the overall best speaker on the day.

The Junior Gold Medal Debate was held on Monday May 13th with this year'smotion being:

This House Believes That every individual should act in order to mitigate thedangerous effects of climate change.

Ben Kieran Glennon (2nd Year) and Michael White (3rd Year) are the 2019 JuniorGold Medal Finalists.

We look forward to another challenging year in the art of debating in 2019-2020.

Giorgio Lunazzi (Third Year) Printmaking

Joe Byron (Sixth Year) illustration

William Flannery (Sixth Year) Still Life

Michael White (Third Year)Ben Kierran - Glennon(Second Year)

Fergus Woods (Sixth Year) Art Club

Cameron Carton (Sixth Year)

Snapshot of Final Term 2018/19

Second Years from Ms Pierce’s History Class on TheViking Splash Tour

Michael Callaghan (Sixth Year) in the Stanley Cup FinalKillian McQuaid (Sixth Year) winner of the Student

Leadership Award on Prize Day

J.J. Garth (Sixth Year) Senior Cricket Team V CUS

JMasterChef Finalists: Matthew Gibney, Darragh Harrisson, Matthew O’Meara, Sam Horkan, David Murphy, ShaneRedehan (Winner), Derry Clarke, Conor Bleakley, Ethan Slater, Oscar Bourke Mullaney.

The Choir and Orchestra at the 6th Year Graduation Mass

Cillian Mc Donnell and Gavin Hoey (Fifth Year) SCTCricket Team V CUS

The Staff Choir at the Summer Concert

Congratulations to Jack McGlone (2nd Year)

on winning Gold in the Junior 800m at the

All-Ireland Athletics Championships in

Tullamore on Saturday, 1st June. In an

outstanding run, he won in a new personal

best time of 2.03.47.

Mathieu Demichel (Fifth Year) on Sports Day

James Carroll, Sam Greene , Federico Mei , Liam Maloney and Matthew Berwick ( Third Year ) on Sports Day

Sixth Years on Graduation Day

James Gray and Conor Bleakley with Ronan McGowan and Sam Bruton (TY) on Sports Day

TY students on the Camino de Santiago

Snapshot of Final Term 2018/19

Second Years enjoying the Sack Race on Sports Day

Gary Ringrose (Class of 2013) (Past Pupil Sports Personality of 2019), with his family and Mr.John Rogan President of the PPU (Class of 1989)

Jack Holohan and Hugo Lavin (Second Years )Table Tennis finals in UCD Conor Hughes (Fifth Year) at the Table Tennis National

Finals in the National Arena

Robbie Gallagher (Finalist in TY Dragons’ Den)

Archive Update Archive Update – Limited time giveaway on CollegeAnnuals and Paraclete Press booksThe archive continues its mission in collecting and managing the records ofthe College history in order to make them accessible to researchers andthe public.As part of our improvements,we have been making space for newitems and research areas.

We have decided to reach out to past pupils and the wider ‘Rock family tosee if we can help each other to create a better and more accessible archivespace, while celebrating the rich history of the College.

We have a selection of books and College Annuals that we would love tofind good homes for – these are available for freeon a first come first served basis for a limited time.

Some works are those written by Fr. SéanFarragher CSSp, such as the two excellent collegehistories The French College Blackrock 1860-1895,and Blackrock College 1860-1995. Fr. Farragher alsowrote two fascinating books about famousBlackrock College figures and their involvement inthe school: Dev and His Alma Mater: Eamon deValera’s Lifelong Association with Blackrock College,and Pere Leman: Educator & Missionary 1826-1880.

His other writings on Spiritan and missionary topicsare also well worth reading, such as Edward Barron1801-1854: Unsung Hero of the Mission to Africa, andSpiritan People and Places.

We also have some copies of the Holy Ghost HymnalAccompaniments (for organ), edited by Fr. Joseph CorlessCSSp, printed in the College in 1954.

Apart from the above titles, we have a selection of CollegeAnnuals from certain years with spare copies.The years onoffer are 1949, 1950, 1951, 1958, 1960, 1962, 1978, 1982,1983, 1984, 1986 and 2006.

There is a selection of other years with a smallnumber of extra books, please feel free to get intouch if you are interested in a specific year notlisted here.

Do you have a particular Leman Festival Concert,Prize Day, Musical or Sports Day flier that youwould love to have a copy of? We also have a smallnumber of extras from a variety of years – please get in touch for specificdetails.

If you are interested in any of the above, please contactblackrockcollege.com. Please note that this is firstcome first served and for a limited time, so pleasecontact ASAP.

Snapshot of Leaving Certificate Soccer Final

Leman House Team (Winners of the Sixth Year Soccer Final)Shanahan House Runners-up

Mark Murphy and Ross O’ ReillyMike Hayes, Harry |Redmond . Ben Horkan and

Charlie Reilly Matthew Farrell Michael Callaghan and Donal McKeon

Sixth Year While short, the final term has been a busyand memorable one for the students of theClass of 2019.The journey through the hallsof Blackrock College is concluding and whata journey it has been!

Over the Easter break, several notablesporting achievements occurred within theClass of 2019.We congratulate Sean O’Brien(U19) and Joseph McCarthy (U18) whowere selected on Irish Rugby Panels and MaxConnolly who was named Irish U21 Water Polo player of the year.While CathalFrench’s 50ft winning putt on the final green of his semi-final match qualified thesenior Golf team for the All-Ireland Schools’ Final in Portstewart GC over theEaster weekend. Unfortunately they lost out to an excellent RBAI team in thefinal.

On the academic front, 6th Year students completed their practical examinationsin Construction Studies and Art, undertook the external investigation inAgricultural Science and submitted their Leaving Certificate projects in History,Geography and Religious Education.

On Tuesday 7th May, there was a very large attendance at the final Parents’Conference for the Class of 2019.The evening discussed both arrangements forthe end of the academic year and support structures for the students in the buildup to the examinations in June. Ms. Crimmins, our 6th Year Chaplain, then led allpresent in a concluding Ceremony of Light.

The range and depth of musical talent within the Class of 2019 was witnessedfor a final time by the College community in the Summer Concert on Thursday9th May. Individual performers included Tim D’Arcy, Tadhg Egan, Ben Rigney,Thomas McCormack, Gavin Jones, Harry Keyes,Tom Dwan and Oisin Reid. Manythanks also to the 6th Year members of the Choir and Orchestra for theirservice throughout this year and their time in Blackrock.The sustained applause,acknowledging what this group of young men has contributed to the Arts inBlackrock, was most fitting.

On Sunday May 12th, there was a very largeturnout of 6th Year students and parents for theannual Sports and Family Day. Thankfully therewas sunshine on the day and keen competitionbetween the six houses was enjoyed by all.AndyLyons received the Sports Personality of the YearAward and victory in the House event went toMcQuaid House captained by Diarmuid Foleyand Peter Murphy. In other inter-House eventsthis term, Liam Fitter (DeValera) was crownedClass of 2019 Pool Champion and Leman House,captained by Chris Rolland, was victorious in the6th Year Soccer League, defeating Shanahan 3-2 after extra time in a mostentertaining final. This victory confirmed Leman House, under the captaincy ofDonal McKeon & Ross O’Reilly, as overall winners in 6th Year for 2018/2019.Congratulations to all.

After three qualifying events, the Gold MedalDebate on Tuesday May 14th was a lively affairand the motion that ‘This House has everyconfidence that the Class of 2019 will changesociety for the better’ was keenly contested byeight speakers. Victory went to Tom Dwanwho thus became the Valedictorian for theClass of 2019. Many thanks to Mr. Sheil for hisorganisation of this important 6th Year event,to our Chair Mr Toolan and to our panel ofadjudicators Ms Kelleher, Ms. Pierce andStephen Ryan (Class of 2018).

Other extracurricular events of note this term included the Paul Stanley soccerfinal on May 13th that saw an all 6th Year final with an impressive second halfshowing ensuring victory for the Castle dayboys, captained by Scott Cullinane,over the Castle boarders. Peter Murphy (2nd 400m), Cathal Ryan (1st Javelin),William Spain & Andrew Hendrickx (1st 4 x 100m relay) and Peter Murphy &

Ben White (1st 4 x 400m relay) enjoyed success at the East Leinster AthleticChampionships, while in cricket, JJ Garth, Conor Austin and Sean Lardner allcontributed as our other ‘SCT’ (Senior Cricket Team!) reached the LeinsterSchools’ Senior Cricket Cupfinal for the first time since1967! Unfortunately, CUSproved to be too strong in thefinal.

Away from the sports fields,we congratulate AdamO’Sullivan and DrummondMcGinn on their leadership inensuring that BlackrockCollege earned its fifthEnvironmental Green Flag forGlobal Citizenship – Marine Environment as a result of the ‘say NO to single useplastic’ campaign that they spearheaded in the College. On Sunday 5th May, tenmembers of the Class of 2019 joined the Willow Wheelers on the final leg onthe annual 100-mile cycle. We congratulate, Cian Dunne, Sean Hannon, CianHealy, Fergal McCluskey, Ben W Brown,Mackenzie Moore, Sean Carney, LochlannGallagher,David Fitzsimons and Niall Meagher on their participation in every 100mile during their Blackrock College years.

The Graduation Mass for the Class of2019 was celebrated on Sunday May19th, the 5th Sunday of Easter. OurSpiritual Director, Fr. O’Brolchain wasthe main celebrant and havingestablished ‘WWW’ as the theme of hishomily, Fr. Cormac assured all the boyspresent that they would always bewelcome in Blackrock College. It was amoving and emotional occasion for all,and it is important to extend aparticular thanks to Mr Flor Maddenand all the RE/Pastoral team whohelped prepare this wonderful liturgy.Celebrations in the Quadranglefollowed and many thanks to the 5thYear Parents’ Committee for thereception that they hosted in the Dining Hall. Later, a Graduation Lunchorganised by the 6th Year Parents’ Committee and co-ordinated by Sharin Fitterwas enjoyed by all in Leopardstown. It was a wonderful evening and a fitting wayto end a memorable day and to celebrate a memorable year.

Charlie Reilly and Matthew Farrell– Stanley Cup Final

Stanley Cup Winners- Castle Dayboys 6th Year Soccer Final (Leman House)

Class of 2019 Participants in this years WillowWheelers 100 mile cycle.

Mr. John Rogan, President of the PPU(Class of 1989) and Ethan Murry winner ofthe Book Prize for Construction Studies

on Prize Day

Max Connolly – U21 Irish WaterPolo player

Sports Personality of the Year -Andy Lyons on Sports Day

Robert Kelly reads at the GraduationMass

Mr. John Rogan, President of the PPU(Class of 1989) and Scott Henderson who

received the Lynn medal on Prize Day

Sixth Year Cont’dOur annual Prize Day was celebratedon Saturday May 25th.Congratulations to all SixthYearprize-winners and their families butwe mention Tom Dwan, in particular,winner of the General ExcellenceAward, Robert Kelly who was the topAcademic based on Christmas andEaster in house examinations andKillian McQuaid, winner of theStudent Leadership Award for 2019.

Finally, a particular thank you to KayTreacy (Chair), Una Langford(Secretary) and all the 6th YearParents’ Committee who have worked so tirelessly on behalf of the Class of2019, to bring events such as the Graduation Lunch, the end of year DVD, the

Immersion Project in Kenya and the St. Vincent de Paul Christmas Raffle tofruition this year.We also congratulate Sandra Kealy and her team who ran sucha successful cake sale in March in aid of the Spiritan School in Machakos and wesend our very best wishes to Frank D’Arcy and his team as they make finalpreparations for this summer’s outreach to Kenya.

The 6th Year students are now preparing for the final lap on their journeytowards the Leaving Certificate. As a group they have made a most significantcontribution to the College and have always displayed enthusiasm, good humour,commitment and a caring disposition.They have upheld the traditions of ‘Fideset Robur’ in style and have left their own imprint on the history of Blackrock.We wish them every happiness and fulfilment in their future lives as we say,‘Farewell and Bon Voyage’.

Green SchoolsBlackrock College Green Schools at DCU Global CitizenshipMarine Flag for Blackrock

Say No to Single-Use Plastic

Mr. John Rogan President of the PPU (Classof 1989) and Stephen Dunne, winner of theCardinal John D’ Alton Medal on Prize Day .

Adam,Tom and Robert receiving the Marine Flag on behalf of Blackrock College

Mr C. Copeland,Tom O'Connor (5th Yr.), Robert McNabb (3rd Yr.) and AdamO'Sullivan (6th Yr.) at An Taisce Green Flag Ceremony

Blackrock College Green Schools at DCU

Rock-EdRock-Ed, a Blackrock College version ofTed Talks, will take place on October 10th,2019. Rock-Ed will be a live 90-minuteevent with 5 student speakers and 5 guestspeakers.

In preparation for this, a series ofcommunication workshops and practiceevents were held this year which were

open to all students but particularly to those who are interested inauditioning for a slot.Auditions will be held in September

Tickets for Rock-Ed will go on sale in September. Don’t miss out on a greatnight!

Guidance and CounsellingAs the school year is drawing to a close, the Guidance and Counsellingdepartment continue to help the boys through what is an important period.Mr. Brennan, Mr. Sullivan, Mr. Ryan, Mr. O’Nualláin and Ms. Drew continueyou meet the boys from each year on an individual basis.

The CAO re-opened its change ofmind facility on the 6th of May and thiswill remain open until the 1st of July.Students are strongly advised to havetheir final choices selected before theLeaving Certificate however, as

mistakes can be made during the exams.A common mistake students makeevery year is changing their CAO due to what they feel is a bad exam. It ismore beneficial to have ‘back up’ courses down rather than changingeverything on the basis of an exam we do not yet know the result of yet.Look at your grades and work out the points from Christmas and from themocks and be sure to have courses listed in that range and below thatrange. Ensure you put as many courses down as possible and do not neglectthe level 7 list.Anything can happen in life so please ensure you have a back-up plan. Research PLC courses, Private Courses and Apprenticeships.

PLCs are an alternative route entry that allowstudents to progress onto degree level after either 1year or 2 years of study. It is a popular option forstudents as both a back-up course and also as anoption for those struggling to get the points for theirdream course. PLC courses are not on the CAO and

should be applied to through the individual college websites now. It isimportant to be aware that places in level 7/8 courses have limitedavailability for students coming from PLC courses.

Several students have also applied for courses outside of Ireland. In the lastmonth some of our Sixth Years have been given conditional andunconditional offer in the UK. Students have also applied to Italy, theNetherlands and the United States.5th Years have been busy accumulating various information to help withtheir college selection. The entire year group sat Cognitive Ability Tests(CAT). This test is important for discovering the cognitive abilities of theboys.CAT along with Eirquest are a guide and a great way to initiate conversationon possible career paths. They are a good starting point to researchingcourses and we encourage you to be open to the array of career areas yourCAT results may suggest.

The Subject Choice Conference for parents which took place in the CollegeLecture Hall on May 8th was very well attended. Mr. M. Dunne, Ms. N. Drew,Mr. A. MacGinty and Mr. O. Brennan all addressed the parents of 3rd Year.Students are reminded that subjects should be selected on interest,strengths and openness to 3rd level opportunities.

As we enter exam time it is important that the students of BlackrockCollege appreciate the hard work and dedication put into their studies thisyear, particularly the Sixth Years whoreach the final chapter of their time inthe College. It is easy to feel that youhave not done enough for the examsbut a positive outlook on theattendance, participation and the workthat you have done will always reaprewards. Remember Winnie the Poohwords:

Development Office UpdateNew bursary programme, Access Blackrock, to launch inSeptember

In September 2019 the first intake of boys on the Access Blackrock bursaryprogramme will enter First Year in Willow Park. This marks thecommencement of a partnership with three local DEIS schools that will seeup to three boys selected from those schools join the Access Blackrockprogramme from First Year through to Sixth Year. On graduation fromBlackrock College the boys will join a mentor programme, operated by theBlackrock College Union, for their Third Level undergraduate years and onthrough their formative years in industry and employment.

This is an exciting project for all in Blackrock College.We are committed toensuring that this social diversity initiative delivers a positive impact on therecipient boys, their families and their communities as well as theirclassmates in the College.

In order to fund this project, we are appealing to the corporate sector,through Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funding, to enable us todeliver the opportunities to the boys who enter the programme. TheDevelopment Office, along with the Patron of Access Blackrock, LochlannQuinn (Class of 1959), is driving the fundraising campaign.

If your business/employer would like more details about how to support theprogramme please contact Johnny O’Shea, Head of Development, on (01)275 2134 or at joshea@blackrockcollege.com

Phase 5 of Development Programme in full swing

The start of this calendar year heralded the introduction of the new all-weather, floodlit playing pitch on the site of the House pitch. Many of theboys have had the chance to play and train on the pitch and the initialfeedback from the boys has been excellent.

The installation of the pitch also marks the commencement of Phase 5 ofthe Campus Development Programme, building on the enormoussuccess of previous capital projects which has seen developments enhancethe campus and modernise the environment for all pupils.Work continueson the extension to the Willow Park First Year building, with completiondue in the coming months.

Subject to funding and planning permission, we will then move to thesignificant challenges of remodelling the upper block of playing pitches,implementing a new campus-wide traffic management plan and installingnew changing facilities.

The generosity shown by parents going back to 2006, when Phase 1 of theCampus Development Programme was launched, enabled us to deliver thenecessary changes and additions to our campus.We once again call on thecurrent population of parents to assist us in supporting this programme ofactivity, a programme that we believe will provide lasting benefits to ourcurrent and future pupils.

Please contact the Development Office or visitwww.blackrockcollege.com/development/make-donation to find out more.

Matthew 25 – Be CaringThis term saw the last of eight groups go on Pastoral Placement and thefeedback from each of the centres was uplifting. Each student wrote areflective journal during and after their placement and the experience andbenefit to the boys can best be summarised by a reflection written by oneTY Student … “I was very thankful to have the opportunity to complete myPastoral Placement. I learned that I enjoy working with children and enjoyhelping them to learn new skills. It also taught me to take some time out,sometimes to reflect on my life and how lucky I am. In terms of my faith, Iwas happy with the fact that I was able to follow in the footsteps of ClaudePoullart des Places and Francis Libermann.” Central to Matthew 25 is BeCaring.

Transition Year Retreats – Be TruthfulDuring the year, many Transition Year Students took part in the GaisceAward Programme and undertook an overnight Retreat as part of that.Other Transition Year Students who took part in the Camino, used theirweeklong experience as their Retreat. The remaining students in TYtravelled to the Dominican Retreat House in Tallaght in two groups for theirDay of Reflection where the retreat team focused on the nature ofchallenges that the Senior Cycle years may hold for these boys.The centraltheme with the Dominican Retreat Team was encouraging the students toBe Truthful to oneself.

Camino – Be ThereThe number of applicants from TYto take part in the 2019 Caminowas the largest yet. Following anextensive selection process, agroup of 25 students was selectedearlier in the year and severalpractice walks were planned andcompleted. An InformationEvening and Prayer Service forthe pilgrims and their parents washeld in the College. Fr MarcWhelan was Spiritual Director tothe group and the students wereaccompanied by Mr O’Neill [TY Dean], Ms Nolan [Deputy Principal] and MrO’Reilly [RE Dept. Head]. Fr Marc had walked the first 700 Kms on his ownand was delighted to guide and support the Blackrock Group for the final

week.The group bonded very well, supporting and encouraging each otherduring sometimes wet weather … to Be There for each other andthemselves.

The Class of 2019 graduated on Sunday 19th May.One of the Liturgical highlights in the school year, theClass of 2019 were hugely generous with theirpreparations and participation in the Liturgy with inexcess of 130 students participating in the variousMinistries.The celebration is a three-part celebration.Firstly, and most importantly, the Celebration of Mass,secondly in the College Quadrangle and the College

Dining Hall and thirdly for luncheon in Leopardstown.The gifts and talentsof the Spiritan Congregation, the Religious Education & Chaplaincy andPastoral Departments within the staff, the 5th and 6th Year Parents’Associations and the Class of2019 were all evident – theentire spectrum of theBlackrock Communitycoming together tocelebrate.We wish the Classof 2019 every blessing fortheir examinations and forthe future, remembering ourSpiritual Director Fr. CormacO’Brolchain’s Homily thatthere will always be aWelcome in Blackrock foreveryone, we have much toBe Grateful for…

Pastoral Care Programme

6th Year Graduation –Be Grateful

Father Marc Whelan with TY boys on theCamino

Conall Walsh (6th Year) reading at the GraduationMass

Join us for Morning Mass in the College Chapel any Mon -Fri at 8.15am during term.

If you have any special intention or anniversary youwould like remembered, please email

fmadden@blackrockcollege.comor phone 01 275 2125. All are welcome to attend this

Morning Mass.

SportAthleticsThe athletics season kicked off in earnest at the East Leinsters in Santry.This eventbrought great success for the College, where we brought home the senior and junioroverall title. The junior boys had some standout performances with Jack McGlonetaking home gold in the 100m, 800m and 4x100m relay. Eddie Crosthwaite took silverin the 100m and gold in the 200m with teammate James O’Sullivan claiming silver. EricBrandt and Iain McGloughlin finished 1st and 2nd in the junior boys’ discus, Iain alsohad a 2nd place finish in the hammer. The 4x100m relay ended the day with aconvincing win, a team that included Jack McGlone, Eddie Crosthwaite, JamesO’Sullivan and Daniel Bennett.

Our intermediate boys had some promising performances with plenty more qualifiersto Leinsters.The qualifiers included Sam Loscher and Tom Brigg who took home goldand silver in the discus, respectively . Sam also took bronze in the shot putt with hisfinal putt of the day.Tom O’Riordan (Second Year) had a good performance to placethird, competing well against several Fourth Years on the day. Hugh Cooney whosnatched gold in the triple jump was perhaps the biggest surprise of thechampionships with little preparation time after a long Rugby season, while his

teammate Ethan Laing had a strong performance to take silver in the long jump.Our senior boys showed great leadership and competitiveness over the two days andthis resulted in taking home a well-deserved team title. Peter Murphy and AdamHarvey claimed qualification spots for Leinsters on the track before helping the4x400m to gold later in the day with Luke Curtis and Ben White.The 4x100m of JeffKenny,Will Spain,Andrew Hendrickx and Michael Lowey put on a fine display in takingthe gold in what was an extremely successful day for the relays. Michael Lowey alsocompeted in the triple jump and took home silver. Our throwers had a positive startwhen Rory Ahearne and Harry Cullen took gold and silver in the boys’ discus. Rorythen went on to win silver in the hammer and Harry took silver in the shot putt.Hugo O’Malley and Cathal Ryan provided further points with wins in the hammer andjavelin. This meant Blackrock College would be represented in an impressive 25events at the Leinster Championships.

The College had a number of boys qualify on to All Irelands from the provincialchampionships. Jack McGlone won bronze in the 100m before throwing on his middledistance spikes to take gold in the 800m in what was an impressive display of tacticalrunning. Eddie Crosthwaite took out his frustration of a 5th place in 100m when

Sport Cont’d running sub 24 seconds in the 200m for silver with a super performance.The relayteam of Jack McGlone Eddie Crosthwaite, Daniel Bennett and Oliver Coffey providedfurther points for the College with a second place finish. The junior team will berepresented in Tullamore by the field events also with a great performance from EricBrandt to take home a silver medal in discus. It was a very tight race for the juniortitle, with Belvedere College just edging it despite Blackrock having more qualifiers forthe All Irelands. This will make for a tense and exciting battle on June 1st in theMidlands!

Well done to all the performers on the day with many achieving personal bests andwinning plenty of points for the College. A special mention also goes to our SixthYears for their dedication throughout the season and their leadership both on and offthe track.We wish Peter Murphy, Ben White,Will Spain and Andrew Hendrickx well.

CricketJuniorThe short final term was a very busy one for Patrick Morris and the junior cricketteam he captained. As well as a good number of them representing Gavin Hoey’ssenior side, they also had their own campaign to compete in, which they didadmirably. Placed in a difficult group with St Mary’s, Ardgillan, Castleknock andperennial favourites CUS, it was always a tough ask to qualify for the final with onlyone side to progress from the group. It was made even harder when we weredefeated by CUS in game one, but the 50-run defeat showed much promise for goingforward, especially in the field. Some excellent bowling from Jack Davy and CaptainPatrick Morris (both 3rd Year) restricted CUS to 128. The chase contained somepositive moments too, especially from top scorer Cormac Morris (1st Year), but thetarget eventually proved too much.

A rain-affected second game with Castleknockwas a lively affair with wickets tumbling allaround, and although a score of 67 was waybelow what we would have liked to setCastleknock, disciplined bowling by Jack Davy,Alex Cowdrey, Patrick Morris (all 3rd Year) andMacdara Cosgrave (1st Year) led to an exciting24 run victory which didn’t seem possible whenbatting an hour or so earlier.

With the exams approaching,Ardgillan decidedto pull out of the junior league, leaving us onefinal game to complete against St Mary’s. Thetop position was already tied up by CUS soboth sides enjoyed a high-quality game in amore relaxed atmosphere. We set a decenttarget of 95, with explosive batting by Jack Gunn(3rd Year) leading the way with 40 runs, andalthough Jack, Patrick Morris and Alex Cowdreyfollowed up admirably with ball in hand, ablyassisted by some good fielding, St Mary’s showedno little skill in expertly chasing down the 96required to win with 10 balls remaining.

Although we didn’t get the result we hoped forin the game, nor the campaign, the foundationsof Blackrock cricket remain very secure downthe school. Well done again to Patrick and allthe boys who represented the junior team thisyear.

SeniorThe senior cricket team had a very successful season winning two out our threegroup games vs Belvedere and Ardgillan, and losing narrowly to a very strong CUSteam in our first game.

In the first game vs CUS, Blackrock scored a very competitive 112 with Gavin Hoey(5th Year) and David Cosgrave (5th Year) scoring 42 and 35 respectively but lostnarrowly to the reigning champions as they chased the total.Alex Cowdrey (3rd Year)was the pick of the bowlers taking 2-17. Our second fixture was against Belvedere.After posting a very good score of 171, we managed to defend the total without toomuch threat. Gavin Hoey scored 104 with the bat and all the bowlers contributed tothe result with the ball. The last pool game saw another good win vs Ardgillan,Blackrock bowled first, bowling Ardgillan out for just 86 and chasing the total to winthe game only 3 wickets down. Cillian McDonnell (5th Year) took 2-9 and DavidCosgrave scored 29 runs.

Qualifying for the finals, Blackrock played Sandford Park in the quarter final. It was a

very close game which came down to the last ball, in which Patrick Morris (3rd Year)held his nerve well and bowled a dot ball to secure a win. David Cosgrave scored abrilliant 83 not out and JJ Garth (6th Year) contributed well with 36.The semi-finalwas against King’s Hospital. Blackrock bowled King’s Hospital out for 88 with ConorAustin (6th Year) only going for 6 runs off his four overs and Cillian McDonnellclaiming 3-18.We chased the small total down only 4 down with Gavin Hoey scoring40 not out and David Cosgrave 24.

Having reached the Senior Cup Final for the first time since 1967, Blackrock played astrong CUS at the picturesque Merrion Cricket Club. Blackrock bowled firstrestricting CUS to 157 in the 40 over final, with JJ Garth and Cillian McDonnell thepick of the bowlers. However, the pressure seemed to get to Blackrock in the secondinnings and we disappointingly collapsed to 52 all out.Although we had a disappointingfinish, it was a very good season for the school and we thank Mr.Pickering, our coach,for all of his help throughout the year.

GolfThe senior golf team had mixed success in their All- Irelands finals.The team set offon their way to Portstewart Golf club two days early, to prepare for what was to bea very tough golf course.

Our team were up against the winners of Munster in the Semi Final early on Tuesdaymorning.The team of Cathal French, Robert Galligan, Ronan Cowhey (Captain),AlexBolger and Matthew O’ Brien were triumphant in the morning, winning the match 31/2 - 1 1/2.

Next up was an impressive Ulster team containing two Irish Internationals.Unfortunately, it wasn’t our day and RBAI were crowned All Ireland champions 2019,edging out Blackrock 4-1.We would like to thank Mrs. Fitzgerald and Conor Hartefor their hard work throughout the year. I would also like to mention Mr. O’Brien andall parents for travelling and supporting the team all week.

RowingAs school and sports wind down ahead of the Summer break our rowers are keptbusy, occupied with training and competing almost every weekend. Regatta season isin full flow and the crews will continue to train when the term ends to ensure theyare as prepared as possible for the Irish Rowing Championships in Inniscarra, Corkfrom 12-14th July.

The regatta season kicked off in April with a full weekend of racing in Islandbridge.Neptune Regatta took place on Saturday, 6th April, the highlight of the day being theJ16 8+ race against Coláiste Iognáid, Galway where our rowers who raced side-by-side narrowly missed out by a canvass (2feet) to the Jes. Commercial Regatta. Sunday7th April, saw Matthew Kane bring home a gold medal in the J15 single sculls event.Weather conditions affected the smooth running of some of the regattas especiallythe School Championships in Lough Rhynn, 12th April and Lough Rhynn Regatta 13thApril. Thankfully conditions were good during the Easter break allowing the rowingteam a successful Easter training camp.

The Trinity Regatta, 10th and 11th May, marked an improvement in performancefollowing the increased training over the Easter break and May Bank Holiday. A fewhighlights from the weekends racing included the J16 4x+ led by Cormac Holohanwho beat Commercial RC in the heat on Friday afternoon making it into the semi-final on Saturday when they came up against a stronger crew from Galway RC.TheJ15 4x+ led by Henry Kelly had a fantastic heat beating Galway RC but lost toCommercial RC in the final. Ben Casey gave some very strong performances in theJ16 1x.All scullers competed in a time trial which saw Ben in the top four J16 singlescullers. Ben won his semi-final comfortably but had to ‘pull like a dog’ in the finalwhere he raced side-by-side up until the final bend where his competition took thelead to the final line.Trinity Regatta hosted the Filippi Challenge where the top eightJ18 single scullers raced against each other in two quads. Sam Horkan and MJ Powerqualified for the event.They subsequently went on to win the event and some verynice rowing kit.

The Rowing Tent proved a hit as always duringSports Day with intense competition betweenthe houses with both rowers and non-rowersgoing all out for 3 long minutes on the ergs. Abig thank you to Áine Ni Neachtain for herseamless organisation and smooth running ofthe race schedule on the day and to GerryMurphy for his pre testing work on thesystem set up. Thank you to all the parentvolunteers on the day. At least there was noparents’ race…this year!

Cillian McDonnell (Fifth Year) and Alex Cowdrey (Third Year)

Philippe Le Roux (Second Year)Blackrock V CUS

The Rowing Tent proved a hit as alwaysduring Sports Day

Sport Cont’dOur 2nd Year rowers thoroughly enjoyed their trip to O’Brien’s Bridge in Limerickfor the Castleconnell Sprint Regatta on the 18th May.The Rowing team breaks for a week and training for the Championshipsrecommences on the 10th June. Our Junior Cert crew members will take anextended break from training to sit their exams.We wish them the very best of luckand look forward to them re-joining the rest of the team for training camp ahead ofChamps on the 12th July.

GAACommiserations to the Blackrock College Boys’ U16 Gaelic Football team who lostthe Dublin schools’ Junior Championship Final against Coláiste Cois Life of Lucan.

The game started brightly for our boys with Michael Nealon and Patrick Van Zaydumscoring two quick goals in succession. However, as the first half continued, Coi Lifegrew in strength, dominating possession from the kick outs and narrowed the deficitto the tightest of margins.This Blackrock team displayed their strength of characteronce again just before half time when full back Conor Bleakley dispossessed his mancreating a counterattack resulting in a goal for Rock finished by Darragh Dempsey.Blackrock went into the dressing room at half-time leading on a score line of 3-5 to1-7.

The second half commenced with Cois Life gaining momentum from the throw in andonce again chased our lead scoring 3points in a row. 'Rock responded to this withMark Kelly and Michael Nealon scoring a point each.This lead was then doubled with12 minutes to go when Mark Murphy finished to the back of the net after a superbteam goal. Unfortunately, Blackrock could not maintain this lead for the remainder ofthe game as the Lucan sides bench gave them the upper hand in the remaining stagesof the game opening up our defence and scoring two goals.The Lucan side ran outwinners on a score line of 4-12 to 4-10.

This is the first time a Blackrock College team competed in a final for a Dublin GaelicFootball championship title for several decades. Hopefully it will be not too longbefore we are back at this stage again and go one step further to engrave theCollege's name on the Cup that goes back as far as 1971.

I would like to thank Robert Kenny and all the team members for their effortsthroughout the year.

Tennis

Templeogue Tennis Club hosted the junior tennis finals on Tuesday 21st May. Bothjunior teams were incredibly strong, comprising of committed and passionate tennisplayers across 2nd, 3rd and 4th Years.

Junior 1 team beat CBC Monkstown 5-0 and Junior 2 team beat Clongowes 4-1.Allten courts saw excellent games of tennis from both schools. This sees the Junior 1trophy returning to the College again after last year’s 2018 stay in the trophy cabinet.The Junior 2 trophy is welcomed back to the College for the first time since 1995.At the prize giving, both captains Callum O’Brien (Junior 1) and James Sheridan(Junior 2)thanked all at Templeogue Tennis Club for hosting the event, their respectiveopponents for the great games, Blackrock College staff, and the committee of theLeinster Schools’ Tennis Union who work tirelessly to organise the competition,without whom, none of it would be possible.The Junior 1 team consisted of – JamesBrophy, Stephen O’Nuallain, Colm Kelly,Will Fitzgerald, John Glynn, Callum O’Brien,Tony Rowe.

The Junior 2 team consisted of – Matt Dowley, James Sheridan,Theo Claffey, JamesHarvey,Andrew McCarthy, Rory O’Shea, Mark McCabe, Joey Kennedy

Minor Tennis: 2019 saw all minor teams consisting of Willow Park 1st Years.They

competed in the Leinster Tennis Minor Finals in the Division 1 and Division 2categories on Monday 20th May. Both teams were triumphant against competitiveGonzaga and Kilkenny College sides, with Minor 1 team winning 5-0 and Minor 2team winning 3-2. Congratulations 1st Years!

SailingThe All Ireland Sailing event held in Schull, Cork, saw Blackrock enter a teamconsisting of Morgan Lyttle, Charles Cullen, Colm Hogan (all 5th Year) along withJamie McMahon (4th Year) and Hugh O’Connor and Conor Gorman (3rd Year).Withover 120 races over two intense days of racing Blackrock finished fourth in thecompetition. We congratulate the team on a great two days of racing.

Table TennisA busy summer term for table tennis saw the teams finish out their Leinster Cup andAll Ireland campaigns.At the All Irelands, the senior team lost out in the semi-finals,once again losing a close match against St. Louis (Connacht) on a 3-5 score line.Blackrock juniors were defending their title and were on track with a 5-0 win overKinsale CS in the semi-finals, however the final just slipped away from the juniors, asthey lost out 4-5 to Bangor Grammar.

At the Leinster Cup Finals, Blackrock seniors were hunting a record extending 11thconsecutive Leinster Senior Cup title, and with 4-1 wins against CBC Monkstown inthe semi-finals, followed by 4-0 against Gonzaga in the final, the seniors took theirCup title, completing a 10th consecutive Leinster Cup/League double.

Junior A were also defending their title and seeking to extend their record, in this caselooking for a 9th consecutive Cup/League double, and an 11th double in 12 years,which they duly accomplished with a 4-0 win over Blackrock 2A in the semi-finals,followed by a 4-0 win over Castleknock in the final. Earlier, Blackrock 2B had lost toCastleknock in the other junior semi-final. Blackrock minors were also looking todefend their title, but unfortunately came up short against All Ireland MinorChampions Castleknock, losing out 1-4 in the semi-finals.

In the School Championships, Maitiú Heckmann (2nd Year) took his first School title,beating James Hamilton (3rd Year) in the final. Heckmann was also on duty for theIrish team over the Easter break, travelling to the Belgian Open, and has also beenselected for Ireland Schools for the Six Nations Championships, taking place in Junein Guernsey.

REFLECTION

JUNIOR 1 TEAMFrom Left to Right: Stephen O’Nuallain(4th Year),Tony Rowe (4th Year),WillFitzgerald (3rd Year), Captain Callum

O’Brien (3rd Year), John Glynn (2nd Year),Colm Kelly (4th Year)

& James Brophy (3rd Year).

JUNIOR 2 TEAMFrom Left to Right: Rory O’Shea (3rd Year),James Harvey (3rd Year),Andrew McCarthy(3rd Year), Mark McCabe (3rd Year), Matt

Dowley (2nd Year),Theo Claffey (2nd Year),Captain James Sheridan (2nd Year)

& Joey Kennedy (2nd Year).Photos courtesy Rock Photography

www.rockphotography.ie

Andrew Doyle (FifthYear)Table Tenis final in

the National Arena

Adam Tunney and JamesHamilton (Third Years) atthe Table Tennis Final in

UCD

Daniel Kelly and Ben Kieran-Glennon (2nd Years) at theTable Tennis finals in UCD